Cohesion
by loulou26
Summary: One year into their relationship, Felicity is having a rough day. This time it's Oliver to the rescue.


**_Cohesion_**

"You have a limited window to catch this guy, Oliver." Felicity said, fingers flying over her keyboard at a rapid pace.

"What time does his flight leave?" he asked from somewhere behind her. She could hear the rustle of fabric as he removed his tuxedo and got into his leathers. They'd come straight to the Foundry from the charity gala they'd been attending after Felicity had gotten an alert on a particularly nasty crime boss they had been chasing for the past couple of weeks.

"In half an hour, but he'll be boarding soon."

She waited until he stepped up beside her, leaning in to glance at the map on her monitor. "If you head here, you'll be able to cut him off before he gets to the airport."

"Great." He moved away to grab his bow as she stood to face him, his mask already in her hand. It had become somewhat of a ritual for them over the past year of being together. Every time he left to go out on a mission, she would put it on for him. It was their own personal goodbye without needing to say the words.

"I've sent the location to Digg, he'll meet you there."

He nodded as he returned to stand in front of her, lowering his head a little so that she could reach. "Don't worry, we've got this."

"You need to catch him, Oliver."

He frowned at her tone. "You know I will."

She slipped the mask over his face and as she felt him press a quick kiss to her cheek, she let the back of it go quickly. The resulting smack against the back of his head made him rear up, a shocked expression on his face.

"What was that for?" He asked, brows drawn together in confusion.

She shrugged. "It slipped."

She could see that he wanted to ask what was wrong, he knew her well enough by now, but there wasn't time. "Go. I'll be here when you get back. Be careful."

She watched him race up the stairs, rubbing some warmth into her upper arms. They'd left the gala so fast that she hadn't even had time to grab her shawl. Kicking off her heels, she sat back down at her computer station, and got to work, but she hated being in there alone. The place that she spent most of her time became something else when she was in there by herself. Almost creepy. She knew it was secure, but every tiny noise that she would normally never register became much louder.

She was being ridiculous, her mood soured by the events of the evening. Placing a comm in her ear, she shut out the background and focused on her task. "Okay Oliver, let's get this guy."

* * *

><p>It was an hour later when Oliver returned. Felicity was in the middle of her yoga exercises when she heard his footsteps thundering down the metal stairs. The mission had gone well; the man had been captured and handed to the police, which meant that they no longer needed her. So she'd taken the opportunity to unwind and do some yoga. Something else that she had picked up over the past year.<p>

Not only did it relax her and help her to focus, it also made her training regimes with Digg a little easier.

Sitting on the mats in the middle of the Foundry, she took in a few deep breaths, waiting for Oliver to say something. She heard him place his bow in the rack but he didn't speak. When she glanced over her shoulder, she saw him standing there watching her, his expression giving nothing away.

"Where's Digg?" she asked, the silence starting to make her feel uncomfortable.

"He went home."

Well that was a short answer. She shook her head and leaned forward, placing her hands on both feet, feeling the stretch in the backs of her legs.

Oliver sighed loudly as he sat down on the mat behind her. "Felicity, what's wrong?"

"Nothing, I'm fine."

"No, you're not. What was all that about, with the mask and the kiss?"

"I told you, it slipped out of my fingers."

"Felicity…" She closed her eyes at the concern in his tone.

"It's nothing, I'm just being stupid."

"If something is bothering you, or upsetting you, it's not stupid to me."

He placed a hand on her shoulder, his thumb rubbing in small circles against her skin. "Is it me? Did I do something?"

Cursing herself for the tears she could feel threatening, she half turned towards him. "When I was in high school, I was bullied. A lot. The geeky science girl with the braces. I wasn't exactly turning heads. But I got past it, and I never once looked back. I went to MIT, I got a fantastic job, I was happy. I _am_ happy."

She could see the compassion in his gaze, the sadness, and it made her feel both comforted and vulnerable at the same time. But he stayed silent, waiting for her to speak. That was one of the things she loved most about him, that he always knew when she just needed to talk, for no other reason than getting it off her chest.

"Anyway, I guess tonight I was kind of thrown back to that time."

"What do you mean?" he asked softly.

"We were standing next to the bar, you had your arm around me, and I was happy. It was nice."

"But?"

"There were a group of people standing behind us and their topic of conversation was…me. Well, you too."

She saw the exact moment that his protective urge kicked in, his face gave none of it away, but it was screaming through his body language. "What were they saying?"

She shrugged. "Does it matter?"

"Yes, to me it does."

Letting out a quiet sigh, she carried on. "They were just whispering at first, but one of the women looked straight at me and leaned over to the guy next to her. She said she couldn't believe that Oliver Queen was off the market. That it was such a shame."

"Felicity…"

She held up a hand to stop him. "I know we get that all the time. That's not unusual, I've actually gotten used to that. It's what happens when you date a billionaire. But this was different, it wasn't so much about what she said, it was the way the guy next to her looked at me. He stared at me from head to toe and…laughed. I don't know, I guess it just got to me."

"Did he say anything?" His voice was soft but she didn't miss the hint of anger in it.

She scoffed. "They all said something, Oliver. You're dating me." She lay down on her back, staring at the ceiling. "In fact, I think the words geeky and plain were used. I wasn't even wearing my glasses tonight."

"I hate hearing you talk like that." Oliver moved across the mat until he was lying on his front, his face hovering mere inches above hers. "Do you think you're a geek?"

She frowned at the question. "I used to. I mean…before I met you. You were the first person that looked at me and saw beyond that."

"I believe I said that you were remarkable actually."

She smiled. "You did."

"You still are. And so much more. But I understand why this bothered you."

"Oh you do, huh? Mr Handsome?"

His expression turned serious, almost sad. "Felicity…half of my entire body is covered in scars. Each time I look at them, I remember the things that caused them. So I understand more than you think. But you see past all that, you see me. Just as I see you."

Her eyes locked with his as she raised a hand to cup his cheek. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean…"

He shook his head. "Just because your insecurities originated when you were young, doesn't mean that they are any less important than what happened to me. You never have to apologise to me, Felicity."

Her eyes burned with unshed tears. "Thank you."

"I don't ever want to see you lose who you are, because that person…well she's pretty important to me. Since the day I met you, I have never once seen you take anyone's crap, even mine, or care about what other people thought of you."

"I don't usually. But I guess today was just…I don't know, I was having a bad day. Sometimes the past comes screaming back and I know I'm not that person anymore but it still hurts sometimes."

"I know, believe me. But for the record, those clowns obviously don't know what they're talking about. I happen to think you're the sexiest thing I've ever seen."

A small chuckle escaped her chest. If she'd heard that line from anyone else, she would've laughed, but coming from him, she knew he was just being honest. The intensity of his gaze right now, almost stole her breath. She already knew that he loved her, but looking in his eyes in that moment, she could see that he desired her too.

She rubbed a hand across her forehead. "Ugh, see I told you it was stupid."

"Hey…" He said softly, waiting for her to look at him. "You're beautiful, Felicity. Inside and out. Don't ever doubt that, please."

As he placed his hands on either side of her face, she couldn't think of a reply. Because she was lost in that gaze. He stared at her as if she was his entire world and it made her feel special. It made her feel loved. He traced a finger over her jawline, up towards her temple and into her hairline, leaving a trail of tingles in its wake.

He drew in a deep breath. "I love you so much."

"I love you too."

Slowly, he lowered his head and pressed his lips to her forehead, then her cheek, trailing tiny little kisses all the way down until he reached her mouth. A pool of heat swirled low in her belly as his teeth nipped her bottom lip. She moved her head slightly so that her mouth fit more closely against his and when their tongues met, she let out a groan. She would never get tired of kissing this man, but this kiss, it seemed more…intimate somehow. It was fast becoming her favourite way of being kissed, that was for sure.

When it ended and he raised his head, his eyes were glazed over, as if he was having as much trouble finding his bearings as she was.

He sighed happily. "What do you say we continue this at home?"

"Mm, I say…absolutely."

He chuckled as he got to his feet and helped her up too. But once they were upright, he pulled her in close, wrapped his arms around her waist, and kissed her again.

"I do have one more question." He murmured in her ear.

She shivered when his breath hit her ear. "Oh?"

"I understand why you were angry tonight, but why were you angry with me?"

"Oh…well it's kind of embarrassing now."

"Tell me."

"You were standing right there next to me, you didn't seem to hear a word they said. Which at the time, I found impossible because they weren't exactly quiet."

To her surprise, he started laughing. "What's so funny?"

"Felicity, if you recall, I was talking to someone at that time."

"Were you?" She cast her mind back and then groaned, realising he was right. "Oh, I'm sorry. But why is that funny exactly?"

"Because he actually had the nerve to ask me if he could dance with you. We'd been talking business and he took one look at you and asked me if I would mind if he stole my date for a dance."

"Oh…oh!" Well, now she just felt foolish. She shook her head and tried to avert his gaze by looking down, but he placed a finger under her chin to stop her. "I'm guessing you said no."

He smirked. "What do you think?"

She let out a giggle and shook her head. "I think…we should go home now."

"Good idea."

She tried to move away to grab her cocktail dress off the back of her chair but he held onto her.

"Oliver, you need to let go if we're going to get changed, unless you plan on taking me home like that." She said, gesturing to his Arrow suit. "I mean, not that that would be a bad thing, it is kinda hot, but we can't risk someone seeing and I need to get out of these workout clothes, and…"

"Felicity." He leaned in close again, and whispered into her ear. "Go get changed. I want to be the one to take that dress off you later."

He let her go with a grin lighting up his whole face, and as she grabbed her dress she felt the anticipation kick in.

It was safe to say she'd never gotten changed so fast in her entire life. Oliver too. Because less than five minutes later, he was practically pulling her out the door.


End file.
